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Exciting finish to Slattery's Turkey Trot

By Shaun Suhoski, Correspondent

Updated:
11/19/2012 10:57:28 AM EST

FITCHBURG -- Pearl Street may not have the notoriety of "Heartbreak Hill," but its incline from John Fitch Highway near the end of the five-mile Slattery's Turkey Trot course sure had an effect on the outcome of the race.

Men's winner Dereje Tadesse, 28, of Washington, D.C., used the hill to separate himself from a pair of New York City runners and an entrant from Falmouth, to capture the 2012 men's open crown with a time of 24:07.0. It was his first time running the Fitchburg circuit.

"I loved the course. I used the hill at the end to help me pull away," said a smiling Tadesse, vowing to return for next year's event.

Mikael Kahsay Tesfaye, of New York City, came in second in 24:12.7, while Tekiu Deneke, from the Bronx, came in third at 24:16.5. The top Massachusetts finisher was Jonny Wilson, of Falmouth, who finished fourth at 24:20.3.

The top four male runners all ran sub-five-minute-mile paces and finished within 13 seconds of each other. More than a minute elapsed before the next runner crossed the finish line.

Heather Cappello, 32, of Arlington, took home the women's open prize, finishing in 26:48.2. The former All-American cross country runner for Providence College once qualified for the Olympic trials in the marathon.

"The course was hilly, but it was good, it was a nice day out," said Cappello, who changed her strategy after finishing second in last year's race. "Last year I took (the lead) and I got passed at the end, so this year I stayed back and kept the two women ahead of me in reach until they fell back.

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Those two women were second-place finisher Hirut Beyene (26:59.6), of Washington, D.C., and third-place finisher Muliyb Gurmu (28:38.7), of New York City, who was off two minutes from her winning pace in 2011.

Locally, Fitchburg's Adam Lassila finished 13th overall with a time of 28:12.1. "I'm representing (Fitchburg)," he joked after the race while cooling down with friends and sibling runners Nicole and Ken Hollums, also of Fitchburg.

"The Turkey Trot is a big hometown race. It's nice to see so many familiar faces," said Nicole Hollums, a 26-year-old who recently completed the Chicago Marathon in under four hours. "I was trying to beat my brother, but it didn't happen."

But the Slattery's Turkey Trot is more than just the athletic competition.

Now in its 32nd year, the race has grown nearly tenfold, from 134 runners during the inaugural 1981 race to more than 900 participants, plus a few hundred walkers, in Sunday's event, according to race organizer Mark Ambrose.

"We gave out $900 in scholarships that first year," Ambrose said. "Now we give $1,000 each to 12 scholarship winners."

In the parking area behind Slattery's and along the edges of Culley Street, which was blocked to traffic, throngs of family and friends came out to enjoy some music, food and the camaraderie of watching the spectacle.

Leominster was well-represented as well with several members of the extended Hebert family on hand and in good spirits.

David and Gale Hebert were there to watch their son Wesley and daughter Katie finish the race. Pam Hebert was on hand to support her husband Rich (Dave's brother), while Pam's daughter-in-law, Isabella Hebert, journeyed up from Millbury so her husband John could run the race.

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